Which lap-top?

[alanmalarkey]

I am off traveling soon and am thinking of taking a lap-top. I would want to access wireless internet, play DVDs and music, download photos, use my email, and talk on Skype with a web cam. I want it to be cheap, light, robust and not too flashy.

Any ideas?

[ValenciaSon]

Without knowing how you define cheap, I'm thinking a Mac would fulfill all of those functions nicely.

[Ben]

Here we go again with the mac/pc debate... but I have to say that I recently bought a black macbook and am delighted with it, don't miss the PC at all. It has a webcam built in, can run skype, and do everything else you like. It is pretty cheap considering it's size and wieght. To get anything comparably good in pc you would need to get a sony Vaio at 50% more cost.

[tad]

I would definately get a mac. Otherwise there are a few unsavoury types round here that will come round and rough you up a bit. :)

[greytop]

link (http://www.notesfromspain.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3576&highlight=apple)1
link (http://www.notesfromspain.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3354&highlight=apple) 2
link (http://www.notesfromspain.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1725&highlight=apple) 3
link (http://www.notesfromspain.com/forums/showthread.php?t=200&highlight=apple) 4

and there's probably more!

[deecree]

I would definately get a mac. Otherwise there are a few unsavoury types round here that will come round and rough you up a bit. :)

:D:D

[Beckett]

Paging Omeyas, Paging Frank Omeyas....come out, come out, whereever you are! :D

[motley]

Don't know if this would take care of all your needs, but at least it's durable, cheap, so you wouldn't feel so bad if something happened to it.

http://laptop.org/

[ValenciaSon]

Highly recommendablehttp://images.apple.com/macbook/images/index_top20070515.jpg

[Beckett]

Alan,
Below is impartial feedback from PC Magazine. It is based on a survey of 16,000 computer owners. The quote below is from the article that talks about the survey, which focused on tech support for desktops. Although it references desktops, I can attest to the fact that most of the info applies to Apple's laptops as well:

"Still, the average overall score for Windows-based desktop PC makers is 7.8 out of 10, the same as last year's. That's down from 7.9 in 2005. The reason the average stayed up is that new entries like Velocity Micro and Systemax kept it up. Without them, it would have been 7.6. (For this score we don't count the nonbranded, self-built PCs or clone/white-box PCs.)

Of course, no Windows machine comes close to Apple's 9.1 overall score. But even Apple was down from last year in just about every category except technical support, which went up to 8.4 points. Apple's high marks extend even into areas we don't have room to print charts for, such as the 85 percent rating for the reliability of software included on the computer (aah, iLife), the 93 percent score for new desktops working right out of the box, and the 9 out of 10 score for the attitude of the tech-support provider. Even the Apple.com Web site gets kudos for how much information it makes available."

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0%2C1895%2C2182830%2C00.asp?sr=hotnews

[gtappend]

I am just testing a Skype Wifi phone (ie. a Skype phone that uses WiFi without being connected to a computer). You just need access to a hotspot and can make and receive calls on it like a normal mobile phone, provided you have credits and a SkypeIn number.

If anyone's interested I can post how I get on with it.

[gary]

I am off traveling soon and am thinking of taking a lap-top. I would want to access wireless internet, play DVDs and music, download photos, use my email, and talk on Skype with a web cam. I want it to be cheap, light, robust and not too flashy.

Any ideas?

If you chose a Mac buy through the education store youll save about £50 and theres no proof of status required - even ex OfSted guys can get them!;)

[Eriol]

I'm writing this on my Macbook....I also have an iMac, so yes I'm a Mac guy, and think you should be too hahah

[ValenciaSon]

Mac book Air would be my choice. Smallest foot print, lightest laptop, widescreen and the most user-friendly operating system and user interface.

[gary]

Mac book Air would be my choice. Smallest foot print, lightest laptop, widescreen and the most user-friendly operating system and user interface.

cant watch DVDs though!!

[alanmalarkey]

Thanks for the advice Gary - when I am a rich self-employed capitalist living off the largely outsourced world of education I may afford one. But I paid £300 for a PC which served me well.

btw Graham how did wifi skype phone go?

cheers

[ValenciaSon]

cant watch DVDs though!!You can watch movies from iTunes.

[gary]

Thanks for the advice Gary - when I am a rich self-employed capitalist living off the largely outsourced world of education I may afford one.
cheers

Waters fine - come on in;D

You may like to consider value for money as well as price. And the mac has a built in webcam. Laptops are a different world insofar as reliability is concerned and I reckon you 'gets what you pays for'

Battery life on cheap laptops is dreadful as this is one of the areas they can save money on, but as a general guide dont expect any more than a maximum 50% of what the maker says. Remember that software you need - Outlook Express, Word, PPT or whatever may not be bundled with a cheap laptop, but there are freebies that will easily get you by.

I tend not to take my lappy away with me now as most of what I do can be achieved online for a Euro or so an hour in a locutorio. Google docs and gmail are great and all the websites I run have browser based editing. Of course watching DVDs is not an option nor is listening to music, but a half decent mobile will do that these for you (after a bit of technical fiddling on your PC to convert the files.)

Having a lappy on tour carries with it other issues - mainly security. Will you be able to enjoy the evening knowing that your lappy is all alone waiting to be heisted? A major reason to buy a cheapy and not a Mac.

Have a good trip

[MrMark]

There's been a lot of talk recently about this model:

http://www.trustedreviews.com/notebooks/review/2007/10/30/Asus-Eee-PC-4G-701/p1

If you're sick of Windows, and can't afford Mac, maybe the Linux option is the way to go? At a current price of 260 pounds, maybe it's worth it?

[eldeano]

Looks interesting.

[richardksa]

I have been trundling around with a Toshiba U200 Satellite. It weighs less than 2Kg and has never ever let me down. And I have taken it to some horrible places bouncing along horrible roads. Yet still it works! It's more than a year old now, so is probably obsolete, but I thought I'd just make a recommendation.